Stan Deaton: Civil War Myths and Misinformation

In this 12 minute talk, Stan Deaton (Senior Historian at the Georgia Historical Society) discusses the challenges his institution faces when discussing and commemorating the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. With many people unconvinced that the Civil War was fought to preserve and extend slavery, Deaton explains that we must rely on evidence on the ground in the 1860s. All too often, the public refers to “politically correct” material that was distributed during later historical periods and alters the original meaning of the insurrection. The Georgia Historical Society has reached new and diverse audiences with its legacy program, the Civil War 150 Historical Marker Project, which demonstrates how they seek to change the ways the Civil War and “our past” is discussed. This talk was part of the public seminar: Civil War Myths and Misinformation.

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